Hamelin is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont. The Weser river runs through the town.
The town is famous for the folk tale of The Pied Piper of Hamelin (German: Rattenfänger), a medieval tale that tells of a tragedy that befell the town in 1284. The version written down by the Brothers Grimm made it extremely popular throughout the world; it is also the subject of a well-known poem by Robert Browning. Although Hamelin has a fine medieval old town with some remarkable buildings, the main attraction is the Pied Piper tale. In the summer every Sunday the tale is played by actors in the authentic places.
There was a monastery at the place, which was founded as early as 851. A village grew in the neighbourhood and became a town in the 12th century. The incident with the Pied Piper is said to have happened in 1284 and may be based on a true event, although somewhat different from the tale.